Review – Thor | The Graduate Times

The visual scenery in Thor is almost as epic as the original myth itself, says Devina Divecha

When you leave the cinema after watching this movie, you will probably hope that The Avengers will have many scenes with Chris Hemsworth throwing his hammer about. The movie starts with thunder, lightning and rain. And a flashback sequence. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is the son of Odin (Anthony Hopkins), and he is cast out of the wondrous Asgard by his father for disobeying him and banished to Earth. Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, which only he can wield, is also sent to Earth, where its presence draws the men in black. Thor is found by Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), whom (surprise, surprise) he has a romantic entanglement with. Thor also has to deal with the threat of the Frost Giants, his brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and human elements that want to ‘get him’.

Thor undergoes a pretty rapid character shift – from being arrogant and egotistic at the start of the film to becoming understanding, strong and worthy by the end. A little too fast for our liking, but we’d imagine many things had to be rushed to accommodate it all into the screening time of the film. You might be surprised to know Kenneth Branagh was chosen to direct the film, with his penchant for Shakespeare. But can there be anyone else to show the semi-Shakespearan drama between Thor and his family? The choices for the roles are perfect – Hopkins as Odin, Portman as Jane Foster, Stellan Skarsgård as Erik Selvig do well. Rene Russo makes a brief appearance as Frigga, Thor’s mother. But the two that really stand out are fresh faces –Hemsworth (whom Trekkies will recognise as George Kirk from the rebooted Star Trek) and Hiddleston (trivia: he acted with director Branagh in Wallander). Hemsworth steals scenes as the striking Norse God and makes us laugh in a few (especially the scenes where Thor has to deal with humans who don’t care whether he is the son of Odin or not), and has the audience falling in love with his mischievous sense of self. Hiddleston as the meddling Loki is inspired; you’ll end up hoping someone dangles him off an Asgardian cliff long before you realise what he’s up to.

The visuals are striking and to be expected, with Asgard looking like a futuristic city in the clouds. Absolutely marvellous; I did not see the film in 3D and did not need to – it can carry itself without the added gimmick. As Marvel is propping up these movies to lead up to the final bang which is The Avengers, avid moviegoers would do well to stick around till the end of the credits. As always, there’s a little scene in there to pique your curiosity, confuddle you, and make the wait for the mega-epic seem just a little longer. Twists and turns are aplenty in this movie, with a lot of action. Buckle up, because Marvel wants to take everyone on a fantastic ride.